Wheelchair user exercise device

Abstract

A manually operated wheelchair user exercise device comprising a pair of ramps each including an open front end and a barriered rear end, it being arranged so that their front ends extended in the same direction and are jointly tiltable between a downwardly inclined forwardly facing position and a level position, with the ramps at their respective rear ends each journaling a plurality of rollers that are flywheel effect equipped and that are spaced apart longitudinally of the respective ramps, which rollers are exposed at the top of the ramps, and including a manually operated mechanism for simultaneously tilting the ramps between a tilted wheelchair receiving position, in which the wheelchair user can back his chair onto the ramps while seated in the wheelchair, with the wheelchair rear wheels reaching and resting on the respective sets of ramp rollers, several of which are braked in the ramp tilted position, and the ramp level position, in which the wheelchair front wheels are braked and the wheelchair user can manually actuate the wheelchair rear wheels for exercise purposes. The rearmost of the respective sets of ramp rollers are equipped to provide independently adjustable resistance at the option of the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An exercise device for manually operated wheelchair users, said exercise device comprising: a pair of right and left ramps each defining a rampway for respectively receiving the right and left front and rear wheels of a wheelchair with each ramp including an open front and a barriered rear end,   said ramps being arranged so that they extend in the same direction,   said ramps being jointly tiltable between a downwardly directed forwardly facing wheelchair loading and unloading position, wherein said front ends thereof are inclined downwardly, and at a level wheelchair user exercising position in which said ramps are substantially horizontally disposed,   means for shifting said ramps toward and away from each other for respectively receiving thereon the right and left front and rear wheels of wheelchairs to accommodate variant lateral spacing of wheelchair right and left front and rear wheels,   said ramps adjacent their rear ends journaling a plurality of flywheel effect providing rollers that are exposed from the upper sides of the respective ramps, that are in spaced relation longitudinally of the respective ramps, and that are vertically disposed to lodge the respective right and left rear wheels, in tractive relation thereagainst, of a wheelchair received on said ramps,   said device including means for braking one of said plurality of said rollers when said ramps are in their tilted positions, and for freeing said braked rollers to rotate when said ramps are in their level positions,   said ramps each defining a recess adjacent the front ends thereof for receiving the respective right and left front wheels of a wheelchair having its respective right and left rear wheels in said tractive relation with the respective rollers of said ramps,   means for proportioning said ramp recesses to accommodate variant spacing of wheelchair right and left front wheels longitudinally of said ramps, respectively,   said device further including:   means for simultaneously tilting said ramps between their said positions,   end means cooperating with said recesses, respectively, for braking the respective right and left front wheels of a wheelchair when the wheelchair is received on said ramps and said ramps are in their said level positions,   whereby, when said ramps are in their downwardly directed positions, a wheelchair user may back his wheelchair onto the respective ramps until the wheelchair right and left rear wheels respectively lodge in said tractive relation with the respective ramp rollers with the wheelchair right and left front wheels being positioned over said recesses of the respective ramps, and when said ramps are tilted to their level positions, the wheelchair respective right and left rear wheels may be freely manually rotated on said rollers of the respective ramps and the wheelchair respective right and left front wheels are braked for holding the wheelchair on the ramp for exercise by the wheelchair user.   
     
     
       2. The exerciser set forth in claim 1 wherein: one of said rollers of the respective ramps includes means for providing variable resistance to rotation thereof,   said variable resistance means of the respective ramps being adjustable independent of each other.   
     
     
       3. The exerciser device set forth in claim 1 wherein: said means for tilting said ramps between their said positions comprises each ramp being equipped with a shiftable base member underlying said recess of the respective ramps and including said means for braking the respective wheelchair right and left front wheels,   with each ramp including overcenter crank means for shifting said ramps between their said positions and locking said ramps in their level positions.   
     
     
       4. The exercise device set forth in claim 1 including: a floor mat on which said ramps are disposed for shifting between their said positions,   said ramps including mat segments mounted on the same at their front and rear ends and resting on said mat,   said mat and said mat segments having their abutting surfaces formed to define interlocking protuberances for precluding shifting of said ramps relative to said mat.   
     
     
       5. The exerciser device set forth in claim 1 wherein: each of said ramps includes an apertured plate member adjustably mounted on the respective ramps over the respective ramp recesses and comprising said proportioning means,   with the aperture of the respective plate members being formed to pass the respective wheelchair right and left front wheels into the respective ramp recesses when a wheelchair is mounted on said ramps.   
     
     
       6. The exerciser device set forth in claim 5 wherein: said plate members are respectively equipped adjacent the respective apertures with a spacer for accommodating variant wheelchair front wheel widths.